AMMAN, Jordan, 17 December 2017 – “I was so worried. My children’s shoes were old and would not have lasted the winter and I did not have the money to buy new ones,” said Fahmieh, a mother of eight children living in Azraq Refugee Camp.
“We got new shoes this time. My old one had cracks, and would get wet easily,” said Fahmieh’s son, 14-year old Abdulla, showing us his brand-new shoes.
Fahmieh is one of the thousands of Syrian parents in Azraq and Za’atari refugee Camp who received a one-time cash assistance of JD20 (approx. USD28) per child from UNICEF to support their children during the winter months.
Winter in Jordan can be extremely cold, with icy winds, rain and even snow sometimes. UNICEF support to children during the 2017-2018 winter includes a mixed strategy of cash support and in-kind clothes distribution to urgently support over 120,000 disadvantaged children living in Syrian refugee camps, host communities and other remote locations.
“It is a top priority for UNICEF to protect vulnerable children from the harsh cold weather, so that they remain healthy and continue to learn and thrive,” said the UNICEF Representative, Robert Jenkins.
“Thanks to the continued support from our donors and the partnership with the Government of Jordan and NGOs, we are able to help thousands of vulnerable children this winter,” he added.
All children in Za’atari and Azraq Refugee camps, almost 65,000, are receiving a one-time cash grant of 20 Jordanian Dinars (~USD28) per child. UNICEF is supporting the Norwegian Refugee Council to distribute the cash directly to the heads of households. Families are being informed through mobile text messages, door-to-door visits, community mobilisation, posters, flyers and awareness sessions that the UNICEF cash assistance is for the winter needs of their children.
Outside camps, in areas with limited access to the market, UNICEF is delivering winter kits to more than 55,000 children through partners.
UNICEF’s 2017-2018 winterisation programme in Jordan is made possible through the generous support from the United States, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Government of Germany and the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Directorate (ECHO).
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Video: http://bit.ly/2ysW7J9
NOTE TO EDITORS
• UNICEF winter kits are categorised into different child age groups and include thermal set, jacket, sweater, scarf, woollen hat, socks, gloves, warm winter trousers, denim and winter boots, in addition to coverall sets for babies.
• UNICEF Jordan’s partners for the 2017-2018 winterization programme includes the Ministry of Social Development, UNHCR, ACTED, Islamic Centre Charity Society Jordan, INTERSOS, Norwegian Refugee Council and Save the Children Jordan
For more information, please contact
Miraj Pradhan: Tel: +962 (0) 790 214 191 mpradhan@unicef.org
Samir Badran: Tel: +962 (0) 796 926 180 sbadran@unicef.org